Ready to roar

Call it good scheduling, nevertheless the good people of Detroit will take it.

The marquee game of Week 5 takes place Monday night at Ford Field.

Time now to take a look at that and all of the other big games this weekend.

Bears @ Lions

The great Motown revival game: the Lions and Bears in Detroit.

From the ashes of their disastrous 0-16 season in 2008, the Lions have come full circle. Riding an eight-game winning streak dating back to last year, the 4-0 Lions will take centre stage Monday night at Ford Field as they host their NFC North rivals from Chicago.

How good is Lions receiver Calvin Johnson? He leads all NFL receivers with eight touchdowns through four games. That would be eight touchdowns on only 24 receptions. The challenge for Jay Cutler and the Bears is to find a way to get points on the scoreboard early to take the crowd out of the game.

The key to the Bears’ offense Monday will be running back Matt Forte. A big game by Forte will keep the Lions front four out of Cutler's grill and keep the ball out of Matthew Stafford's hot hands.

Titans @ Steelers

The diamonds and rust game: the Steelers and Titans at Heinz Field.

The Steelers head into Sunday’s game against the Titans with a laundry list of injury problems. Pro bowl linebacker James Harrison is out after having surgery to repair a broken orbital bone. Ben Roethlisberger will play, but the man is clearly not even close to being 100 per cent healthy.

Where the Steelers are coming off a painful loss to the Texans, the Titans come into the game riding a three-game winning streak. Matt Hasselbeck has turned out to be a good fit in Mike Munchak's offense and it is starting to look like running back Chris Johnson is getting into game shape.

Here's another stat most NFL fans likely don't realize: the Titans have allowed the fewest points in the NFL.

Oakland @ Houston

The game that is just a game: the Raiders and Texans in Houston.

Coming off a loss to the Patriots, the Raiders face Mario Williams and the Texans in Houston. This game will be a major test for Matt Schaub and the Texans offense. Their best player, receiver Andre Johnson, has a hamstring injury and will be out for the next three games. That means more work for running back Arian Foster.

Both teams have excellent running games and are committed to running the football, especially Oakland. The aforementioned Williams has really blossomed under coordinator Wade Phillips and will be a top priority for the Raiders offensive line.

Philadelphia @ Buffalo

The great Philly disaster game: the Bills and the Eagles in Buffalo.

The 1-3 Eagles limp into Orchard Park Sunday still reeling from last week’s disaster against the 49ers. Michael Vick has told the media he doesn’t want to hear the term "dream team" anymore. That would suit Andy Reid just fine.

The Bills meanwhile received a large dose of reality when they lost to the Bengals last week.

As Drayton Florence explained to me, the big challenge for the Bills secondary will be finding a way to contain receivers like DeSean Jackson while making sure Michael Vick doesn’t beat them with his legs.

A huge concern for the Eagles has been their woeful display of tackling on defense. Because of that, I would expect Chan Gailey to give running back Fred Jackson plenty of touches.

Jets @ Patriots

The over hype game: the Jets and the Patriots in New England.

I like Rex Ryan, I really do. But it might be time for him to start backing up his bold talk with more tangible results.

One week after losing to the Ravens, life doesn’t get any easier for Ryan and the Jets as they pay a visit to New England. I doubt Bill Belichick would ever admit it publicly, but in the back of his mind he has to be concerned that the Patriots defense is ranked dead last in the NFL.

The big issues for Ryan and the Jets are whether or not Mark Sanchez has what it takes to exploit the weaknesses in the Pats’ defence. It would help the Jets’ cause and it would really help Sanchez if the Jets could establish some sort of a running game.

The Jets running game is currently ranked 30th in the NFL; a fact that is playing a major role in the Jets overall struggles.

Green Bay @ Atlanta

The quiet superstar game: the Packers and the Falcons in Atlanta.

Now in his fourth season, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has already done commercial endorsements for companies such as Gillette. Good for him.

Aaron Rodgers is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and is the leading quarterback in the NFL, yet he still hasn’t done any national commercials.

Not that Rodgers cares all that much. He’s much more content to live the good life in Green Bay and get the Packers offense ready to play every week. This is the kind of the game the Falcons have to win if they are going to be taken seriously as a contender in the NFC.

That means their defense needs to get pressure on Rodgers and contain his outstanding crew of receivers.

The survivor pool tip of the week:

Thanks to LeGarrette Blount, the Bucs beat the Colts and I survived one more week in my pool. This week I am betting their superior running game and front four will be enough for the Giants to beat the Seahawks in the swamps of New Jersey.

Jim Lang is co-host of Brady and Lang in the morning on Sportsnet Radio the FAN 590 and a columnist for sportsnet.ca.